Men of Color to Arms!: Black Soldiers, Indian Wars, and the Quest for Equality

by Elizabeth D. Leonard

The story of the black soldiers who helped save the Union, conquer the West, and build the nation. In 1863, at the height of the Civil War, Frederick Douglass promised African Americans that serving in the military offered a sure path to freedom. Once a black man became a soldier, Douglass declared, “there is no power on earth or under the earth which can deny that he has earned the right to citizenship in the United States.” More than 180,000 black men heeded his call to defend the Union―only to find the path to equality would not be so straightforward. In this sharply drawn history, Professor Elizabeth D. Leonard reveals the aspirations and achievements as well as the setbacks and disappointments of African American soldiers. Drawing on eye-opening firsthand accounts, she restores black soldiers to their place in the arc of American history, from the Civil War and its promise of freedom until the dawn of the 20th century and the full retrenchment of Jim Crow. Along the way, Leonard offers a nuanced account of black soldiers’ involvement in the Indian Wars, their attempts to desegregate West Point and gain proper recognition for their service, and their experience of Reconstruction nationally, as blacks worked to secure their place in an ever-changing nation. With abundant primary research, enlivened by memorable characters and vivid descriptions of army life, Men of Color to Arms! is an illuminating portrait of a group of men whose contributions to American history need to be further recognized. 46 Illustrations

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Native American

336 pages, Hardcover

First published June 12, 2010

Reviews

[Mike · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 Stars is probably an unfair rating for Men of Color to Arms!: Black Soldiers, Indian Wars, and the Quest for Equality as it is a decent academic look at the quest for equality for black soldiers (and by extension, the black citizenry) after the Civil War. But I was disappointed, felt the book cover was false advertising...I thought I would hear the amazing tales of black cavalry riding to the rescue in the blistering west. Actually you only get a couple of vignettes and the author, to put it kindly, does not strain to make these episodes exciting. I was expecting hoorah and got ho-hum. Only about 25% of the book takes place in the west. She starts out in the Civil War, moves to the occupation of the South, then to the west, then to West Point and the first black cadets, then back to the west for Wounded Knee, then to the 1893 World Expo in Chicago, etc. The author jumps around the country, jumps back and forth in time, sometimes I had to reread pages just to figure out where the story is taking place.

I would recommend this book for its panoramic view of the struggle for racial equality in the years after the Civil War. Just don't expect an exciting trip.

[Joseph · Rating 5 out of 5]

A detailed overview of the contributions made by men of color during and immediately after the Civil War, this volume fills a gap in the literature of the Civil War era. The author does a good job of incorporating the stories of Black troops in their own words, fleshing out the story in greater detail. Along the way we learn of the sacrifices they made to ensure Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation was carried into effect.

[Peter Thor · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is about the African American soldiers and their roles in the United State Military. It gives an in dept look African American soldiers helping fight the war since the 1800s and how they were not given any credits for helping fight the war. It also talked about African American troops not being permitted to march in the great victory parade which took place in Washington in March of 1865. Even with black soldiers coming to the rescue of white soldiers, they still received limited thanks for their effort. Blacks were treated poorly especially when they attempted to train as officers at the United States Military Academy, because they were subjected to alternating harassment and social ostracism by the white cadets. This book was very good because it showed that although they were free and were able to fight for America, they were still treated as slaves and given no credits for what they've put into this country.

[Joe Stack · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a well grounded history of the Black soldiers and how they epitomized the struggle of Black Americans in the white oriented America of the late 19th Century. The author uses the words of these men, so the reader gets a good feel for the conditions the soldiers experienced out on the frontier. An enjoyable aspect of this book are the photos of some of the men Ms. Leonard writes about.

The author includes the attempt by well meaning individuals to integrate Native Americans into American society. Just enough coverage to show the differences with how people of color were treated.

The chapter on the attempt to integrate West Point exemplifies the attitudes and obstacles Black Americans endured in their attempt to be citizens. This is not a history with a satisfactory ending. While these soldiers did win over the support of some, it was not enough to break through systemic racism and Jim Crow.

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this book to be a good solid read. It tells the story of the experience of black soldiers during and after the civil war. It does not go into their experiences during the Spanish American War. It speaks about the racism in the south during Reconstruction but does not go into details about the incidents. I found the book to be well written, easy to read, and informative, I did not find the depictions of racism nor the depictions of heroism to be particularly hard hitting. It filled in some gaps for me and put the black experience in historical perspective for me.

It is not a bad book, but it is not a great book. If you are interested in the time period and would like an overview of black contributions and experiences, I recommend this book.

[Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

Black Soldiers, Indian Wars, and the Quest for Equality. Dr. Leonard was inspired to write this book when her child asked her if freedmen really joined the army and killed Native Americans. Dr. Leonard wrote this book to understand how that kind of strange, Victorian, racial hypocrisy could happen, and, in the end, it seems like she doesn't want to know, and we readers don't find out either. In a book titled Men of Color to Arms! (!), about soldiers, one would assume some military history, or an overview of which battles were fought and against whom, or what the fighting entailed, or how soldiers felt about the Indian Wars in diaries and letters, or a Native perspective on colored troops, or tribal resistance to territorial incursions, or some maps. Like, maps of where the USCT were in stationed the American West. There are some letters, but they’re not about the Indian Wars; just “Dear Prudence, it continues cold here all week.” Instead, we have:

1. The formation of active colored units during the last years of the Civil War with biographies of too many military men, black and white, who were involved.

2. The fight to keep African-American men in the army after the Civil War and what to do with them

3. Old white captains are racist, even when you're 200 miles from the nearest town

4. Integrating West Point

5. Integrating West Point didn't work and the dawn of Jim Crow

Taken as a book on early civil rights work within the military, this book has some good information, but was hampered by the author's lack of interest in actual military matters, and too much biographical information on every single person she mentions, which was probably the low-hanging fruit of her research. While the author is abhorring racism and genocide in this book, and I agree with her, that's not enough to make Men of Color to Arms! a history worth reading.

[Malinda McConnell]

I believe someone that truly has an interest in African American and/or Military history will find “Men of Color to Arms!” to be a fascinating read. Elizabeth D. Leonard has used personal accounts, documents from the military, and other research materials to create a book that is not only informative and educational, but is also enjoyable and easy to read. I think “Men of Color to Arms!” has great historical value and should be a requirement in both African American and Military history classes. In most history classes, you do not get the history of African American men in the military in such a thorough and informative fashion, if you get it at all. You also do not get the history of the relationship between Native Americans and African Americans men while in the military.1